I had heard many great things. And was excited to try the trout and the deviled eggs. Was so disappointed by the eggs. Trout was just ok. Burger was nice but not mind blowing. Bibb salad with truffle was truly amazing.
N
We visited at lunchtime on a Saturday in winter. There wasn't a large crowd, so a reservation—and the required credit card deposit—didn't seem necessary, though I can't speak for other days or seasons. The restaurant is very pretty inside. The food was good but quite expensive. The standout dish for us was the side of carrots, which was creative and excellent. The service could have been better. The busser was excellent; however, our server's demeanor was inconsistent, which slightly dampened the overall experience.
Dan
Excellent experience, great vibes, creative cocktails, delicious food! The salmon tiradito was especially awesome.
Joe B
Unfortunately under it's current ownership the food is not any better than it was when Bill Taibbi owned it. I know some people rave, but many call tract homes great architecture, and sailboats painted on black velvet art.
Nothing, thank goodness, was bad, in the sense that it was rotten or smelly, but almost everything was disturbingly tasteless, even the oysters. (How do they manage that?) The lobster and the soft-shell both tasted like the brioche rolls they were served on, and of unpleasant sauces and condiments, but of lobster and crab there was nary a whiff and scarcely a sight.
Service? Is that what it's called these days? To wait half an hour for the wine steward only to be told there is no such person on staff? To be told about dishes that, upon arrival at the table, were not at all as described?
I sent an email to the new owner about my experience. I used to think we shared the same vision of quality and excellence. I thought he got it. In as much as he never replied, I guess I was wrong.
Nellius
The Whelk is one of those places you return to, not out of habit, but out of trust. From the moment you walk in, there's a familiarity that feels earned. The service is always generous and intuitive, the food consistently exceptional, but it's the familial feeling that keeps pulling us back. Over time, this place has become a constant for us. Every visit feels grounding, like being welcomed by people who know how to hold space as well as they hold standards. You leave lighter—like a barnacle's been gently scraped off—and reminded why hospitality, when done well, really matters... And a serious but slightly silly note: Please never remove the maitake mushroom dish. Ever. It is perfect. It is essential. It belongs. To The Whelk, cheers to the team, the care, and a place we'll keep choosing, again and again. 🥂 If you want it more poetic, more playful, or even subtler about the longevity, say the word—I'll tune it.
Todd Fellerman
Great lunch spot with great ambiance and delicious seafood. Highly recommend to come here for good all around restaurant with fresh seafood. It's also a close walk to the train station!
Frank
The Whelk is good but always seems like it could be better. We ordered two pastas with lobster which otherwise tasted delicious EXCEPT for the fact that the pasta was so undercooked and legitimately crunchy as to be borderline inedible. But by the time the food was out with the other dishes, didn't make sense to send it back. This is a pretty basic thing to cook pasta the right amount and it was still screwed up. Btw we brought it to the servers attention who apologized and then...nothing. No free dessert or drink or anything. The last time we were there, they so screwed up one entree that it didn't get served until dessert. And this is why we tend to only hit The Whelk once every couple years because it often disappoints in some way.
Zoya Dasgupta
The food was WAY better than I expected. It was pure magic. It’s made with so much love and passion, every dish is so flavourful and full of life. Plus the people who work there are beyond just sweet, they’re so hospitable, so nice, so warm. If I could go to this place every day, I WOULD. Special appreciation for chef Mike, he’s AMAZING, he’s talented, his passion for cooking SHOWS. And to not forget Pablo who also works in the kitchen who made us THE BEST grilled Octopus in the whole world! Do visit this place at least once in your whole life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Desiree Caro
I was underwhelmed. The menu online isn't the most up to date, so I was really disappointed that there werent any muscles available when we arrived. I spent almost 250 on 3 entrees, 2apps, and two drinks which isn't bad when the experience was great, but it was meh
Long time fans of anything Massimo does, including the Whelk, but it had slipped and now it is back BETTER than Ever, simply outstanding service, food, and attention to detail. Can't wait to go back!
Susan
We've been many times and always enjoy a great casual meal. The new avocado Caesar salad is outstanding!!
Naftali Kaminski
Mediocre place in a nice setting catering to a wealthy suburban crowd. Factors that drive low score: A. Food is ok. Not great. One of the fish crudos we ordered was way too sweet. The other one better. The fish we ordered were mostly decent, and fried chicken sandwich not close to any nearby diner or pub B. The place is overpriced C. You get 105 minutes for a reservation. In my book any restaurant that gives you less than 2 hours, has no respect to its own food, or to the customers. If you wish to be a high turnaround place, be good at it, but don’t charge 23 dollars on a little bit of Sancere
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
Deb Stone
I haven’t been here in many years and years ago I would have had a higher rating. I was just slightly disappointed by visit this time.
The positive - when I walked in, the host told me my table was the first one closest to the front door, when he saw my slight hesitation he asked if I would prefer another table and brought me the “the garden room” in the back where it was much quieter and a much better option for the evening. The main room can be kind of loud and hard to talk.
For an appetizer, we ordered the deviled eggs and the tuna tartar. They were both pretty tasty.
For dinner I ordered the stripped bass, the fish was pretty good, it was served in a creamy lemon sauce but there were bits of lemon that had been stewed in the sauce which I ended up accidentally eating twice and it was was kind of gross. The potatoes that were served with the fish were cold.
We did order the French fries on the side, which were delicious - so I ate those instead of the potatoes that came with the fish.
The waitress as sweet and attentive as she was came over to “check” on our table maybe 5 too many times. It got to the point where it started to actually be annoying. I’m glad no one forgot us in the back room but it also felt like we couldn’t eat our meal fast enough.
Lastly, the dessert menu only had 2 options. Which seemed to go along with what I felt was a limited dinner menu as well. We got the chocolate pot, which was very good.
I think I was just slightly disappointed because I had such a fond memory of loving this place many years ago, and felt like it didn’t live up to the standard I remembered.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Susanne
The Whelk is a totally delightful experience - except for one thing which they quickly fixed. It's known to have a high noise level, but the food is so delicious that we usually tolerate the noise. Last night though, the 4 people who sat down next to us were excessively noise. But our waiter came to the rescue and moved us to another table. Dinner was delicious. I rarely finish my whole meal, taking half of it home. That was not the case lst night. I ate, with great pleasure, the pasta with shellfish dish (I can't remember what it was called.). Every bite was an experience in enjoying all its flavors - the clammy sauce, the lemon, the subtle vegetables. We skipped dessert, opting instead for ice cream across the plaza which we enjoyed while sitting near one of the outdoor firepits. The whole experience was superb.
It’s good
I had heard many great things. And was excited to try the trout and the deviled eggs. Was so disappointed by the eggs. Trout was just ok. Burger was nice but not mind blowing. Bibb salad with truffle was truly amazing.
We visited at lunchtime on a Saturday in winter. There wasn't a large crowd, so a reservation—and the required credit card deposit—didn't seem necessary, though I can't speak for other days or seasons. The restaurant is very pretty inside. The food was good but quite expensive. The standout dish for us was the side of carrots, which was creative and excellent. The service could have been better. The busser was excellent; however, our server's demeanor was inconsistent, which slightly dampened the overall experience.
Excellent experience, great vibes, creative cocktails, delicious food! The salmon tiradito was especially awesome.
Unfortunately under it's current ownership the food is not any better than it was when Bill Taibbi owned it. I know some people rave, but many call tract homes great architecture, and sailboats painted on black velvet art.
Nothing, thank goodness, was bad, in the sense that it was rotten or smelly, but almost everything was disturbingly tasteless, even the oysters. (How do they manage that?) The lobster and the soft-shell both tasted like the brioche rolls they were served on, and of unpleasant sauces and condiments, but of lobster and crab there was nary a whiff and scarcely a sight.
Service? Is that what it's called these days? To wait half an hour for the wine steward only to be told there is no such person on staff? To be told about dishes that, upon arrival at the table, were not at all as described?
I sent an email to the new owner about my experience. I used to think we shared the same vision of quality and excellence. I thought he got it. In as much as he never replied, I guess I was wrong.
The Whelk is one of those places you return to, not out of habit, but out of trust. From the moment you walk in, there's a familiarity that feels earned. The service is always generous and intuitive, the food consistently exceptional, but it's the familial feeling that keeps pulling us back. Over time, this place has become a constant for us. Every visit feels grounding, like being welcomed by people who know how to hold space as well as they hold standards. You leave lighter—like a barnacle's been gently scraped off—and reminded why hospitality, when done well, really matters... And a serious but slightly silly note: Please never remove the maitake mushroom dish. Ever. It is perfect. It is essential. It belongs. To The Whelk, cheers to the team, the care, and a place we'll keep choosing, again and again. 🥂 If you want it more poetic, more playful, or even subtler about the longevity, say the word—I'll tune it.
Great lunch spot with great ambiance and delicious seafood. Highly recommend to come here for good all around restaurant with fresh seafood. It's also a close walk to the train station!
The Whelk is good but always seems like it could be better. We ordered two pastas with lobster which otherwise tasted delicious EXCEPT for the fact that the pasta was so undercooked and legitimately crunchy as to be borderline inedible. But by the time the food was out with the other dishes, didn't make sense to send it back. This is a pretty basic thing to cook pasta the right amount and it was still screwed up. Btw we brought it to the servers attention who apologized and then...nothing. No free dessert or drink or anything. The last time we were there, they so screwed up one entree that it didn't get served until dessert. And this is why we tend to only hit The Whelk once every couple years because it often disappoints in some way.
The food was WAY better than I expected. It was pure magic. It’s made with so much love and passion, every dish is so flavourful and full of life. Plus the people who work there are beyond just sweet, they’re so hospitable, so nice, so warm. If I could go to this place every day, I WOULD. Special appreciation for chef Mike, he’s AMAZING, he’s talented, his passion for cooking SHOWS. And to not forget Pablo who also works in the kitchen who made us THE BEST grilled Octopus in the whole world! Do visit this place at least once in your whole life.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I was underwhelmed. The menu online isn't the most up to date, so I was really disappointed that there werent any muscles available when we arrived. I spent almost 250 on 3 entrees, 2apps, and two drinks which isn't bad when the experience was great, but it was meh
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
Long time fans of anything Massimo does, including the Whelk, but it had slipped and now it is back BETTER than Ever, simply outstanding service, food, and attention to detail. Can't wait to go back!
We've been many times and always enjoy a great casual meal. The new avocado Caesar salad is outstanding!!
Mediocre place in a nice setting catering to a wealthy suburban crowd.
Factors that drive low score:
A. Food is ok. Not great. One of the fish crudos we ordered was way too sweet. The other one better. The fish we ordered were mostly decent, and fried chicken sandwich not close to any nearby diner or pub
B. The place is overpriced
C. You get 105 minutes for a reservation. In my book any restaurant that gives you less than 2 hours, has no respect to its own food, or to the customers. If you wish to be a high turnaround place, be good at it, but don’t charge 23 dollars on a little bit of Sancere
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 4
I haven’t been here in many years and years ago I would have had a higher rating. I was just slightly disappointed by visit this time.
The positive - when I walked in, the host told me my table was the first one closest to the front door, when he saw my slight hesitation he asked if I would prefer another table and brought me the “the garden room” in the back where it was much quieter and a much better option for the evening. The main room can be kind of loud and hard to talk.
For an appetizer, we ordered the deviled eggs and the tuna tartar. They were both pretty tasty.
For dinner I ordered the stripped bass, the fish was pretty good, it was served in a creamy lemon sauce but there were bits of lemon that had been stewed in the sauce which I ended up accidentally eating twice and it was was kind of gross. The potatoes that were served with the fish were cold.
We did order the French fries on the side, which were delicious - so I ate those instead of the potatoes that came with the fish.
The waitress as sweet and attentive as she was came over to “check” on our table maybe 5 too many times. It got to the point where it started to actually be annoying. I’m glad no one forgot us in the back room but it also felt like we couldn’t eat our meal fast enough.
Lastly, the dessert menu only had 2 options. Which seemed to go along with what I felt was a limited dinner menu as well. We got the chocolate pot, which was very good.
I think I was just slightly disappointed because I had such a fond memory of loving this place many years ago, and felt like it didn’t live up to the standard I remembered.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The Whelk is a totally delightful experience - except for one thing which they quickly fixed. It's known to have a high noise level, but the food is so delicious that we usually tolerate the noise. Last night though, the 4 people who sat down next to us were excessively noise. But our waiter came to the rescue and moved us to another table. Dinner was delicious. I rarely finish my whole meal, taking half of it home. That was not the case lst night. I ate, with great pleasure, the pasta with shellfish dish (I can't remember what it was called.). Every bite was an experience in enjoying all its flavors - the clammy sauce, the lemon, the subtle vegetables. We skipped dessert, opting instead for ice cream across the plaza which we enjoyed while sitting near one of the outdoor firepits. The whole experience was superb.
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